You Can't Fight Fate
by sweet angel 505
Summary: Tea had a really bad experience as a child. Will watching her family's death come back to haunt her? And who is this person following her? Tea needs some serious help. Her life is in danger! Will anybody help? you betcha
1. Bad Dreams

_**You Can't Fight Fate**_

_Disclaimer: _I don't, in any way, shape or form, own Yu Gi Oh . . . . dang . . .

_Sweet angel 505 – _Hey!! This is my first fanfic so wish me luck. I don't really know that much of the background of Yu Gi Oh, just what I've picked up from watching as many episodes as I possibly could. So, this story is loosely based on the show. Gotta love the series!! So yah read and review please!!!

**Chapter 1 – Bad Dreams **

Tea ran through the snow as it gently fell on the field behind her house. It was the first snow fall of the year. Tea wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to catch snowflakes in her mouth just because she was wearing her pjs. She started twirling in circles as the snow came down. It was only 8 o'clock in the evening but for a 5 year old that was well passed her bed time. Tea laughed knowing that she ought to make the most of what time she had before her momma came out and smothered her with kisses and whisked her off to bed.

Tea, laughing, fell to the ground and made a snow angel. She couldn't have been more in heaven than at that moment. She loved snow. Then, a sudden scream pierced the night. Tea jerked her head up and looked at her house. There were yells coming from inside. The doors suddenly burst open and her mother was being pushed outside. Alice's eyes met Tea's for a split second.

"Hide," she mouthed, hoping that Tea would understand her.

Tea jumped behind the old tractor that was sitting in the field as quickly as she could. In all the commotion, no one noticed the little five year old. Tea watched in fear as her father Richard was shoved out the door by another man. Tea's sisters Rose and Clementine were forced onto the snowy ground as they shivered in their thin pajamas. Michael, the oldest, struggled against the man holding him but was easily overpowered. The 16 year old received a blow to the head before he finally slumped to the ground in defeat. The men that so violently shoved Tea's family out the door lined up in front of the family. They all wore black suits and sunglasses. The leader, the one who had shoved Tea's father out the door, stood as the tallest, his grey eyes reflecting cruelty and a mad sort of pleasure. He was obviously enjoying the power he held over the Baker family.

"Where is the youngest?" asked the leader. Tea shivered where she sat and prayed that he wouldn't ever find her.

"She's not here," lied Richard. "She ran away last night and we haven't been able to find her…"

There was silence as Richard prayed that they would believe his story. The leader threw back his head and laughed. "That's all right. We'll find her eventually. No worries about that," the man said confidently. "You have been a very bad man Richard. You lied to Mr. McCloud. You know he doesn't take kindly to rats… epecially the double crossing kind."

Tea shivered as she watched the man stare down her father. "You know that you'll have to be punished," the leader said cruelly. He nodded to one of the other men. The man took out a gun and stepped towards the kids.

"NO!!! Stop! Leave them alone, they have nothing to do with this!!!" Richard cried in vain. "Oh, they have everything to do with this. The boss wanted you to be punished and that's exactly what you're going to get," the leader laughed.

The man raised his weapon and a shot rang through the air. Tea couldn't see what was happening. Cries rang through the night and the body of Michael collapsed to the ground. Alice was sobbing hysterically by his side as she tried to grab the girls and protect them best she could.

"Please stop this!!" Richard begged. More shots rang out as Rose and Clementine, only 11 and 7 years old, left this world. Tea was shaking from tears as she tried to remain quiet behind the tractor.

"Mark my words, Dick," said the cruel man, addressing Tea's father for the last time, "we will find your daughter and kill her as well. No one will get away." He then raised his gun and shot Alice and Richard himself.

"Let's head home boys. Our work is done. We'll start looking for the little brat tomorrow." The men all left, climbing into black SUV's and sped away from the sheltered little farm.

Tea, sobbing, ran to her family as quickly as her little feet could carry her. She bawled as she hugged her mother. Everyone that she loved was gone. "Tea….."

Tea looked at her father. He was just hanging on. She ran to him and tried to lift him up but was too small to. "Run, Tea…. Get away from here…. We love … you…" Tea's father then let out his final breath and Tea was truly alone in the world.

Tea slowly got up and started walking. She had no idea where she was going; all she knew is that she had to get away. All idea of time faded away as she trekked on. Her toes became numb as she slowly lost all thought and became numb herself. Her hair was soaked and she was shivering. She was so tired… so cold… so alone….

Tea sat up straight in bed, soaked in sweat. She'd had this nightmare many times through the years. Her ocean blue eyes filled with tears as the memories swamped her. She hated to feel alone and could not shake this feeling. The dream often made her feel this way.

"Tea, you better get up if you want to meet Yugi in time!" Maria yelled from downstairs. Tea smiled. She wasn't alone. She had Maria, a kind old lady who had, through the years, become a mother to her as well as a trusted friend. Tea glanced at the clock as she yawned. 10 o'clock!!! She had to meet the gang at 10:30!! Tea threw off her sheets and raced towards the shower.

_Sweet angel 505 – hehehe hope you liked the beginning. Oh yah, and Tea is 17 years old. I have so much planned!!! I can't wait to write the next chapter!! But, I really want to hear some feedback. I'm still thinking about the pairing a bit but I'm pretty sure who it's going to be. Bet you can't guess! Well, thanks for reading!! Hope to get the next chapter up soon!_


	2. Stalker

_**You Can't Fight Fate**_

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. . . it would be nice. . . . but I don't

_Sweet angel 505 –_ Hey!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed!! The support is much appreciated!! Sorry it took me so long to update but here it is – the next chapter!

**Chapter 2: Stalker**

Tea raced out of her 5 minute shower and threw on a cute pair of white capris with a baby blue v-neck tee that showed off the colour of her ocean blue eyes. She hurriedly brushed her chocolate brown hair and put on some casual makeup. She had to hurry if she wanted to be on time! She sprinted downstairs, nearly knocking Maria over.

"Slow down, Tea! You're going to hurt yourself," chuckled Maria.

"Sorry," answered Tea, grabbing a jean jacket from the coat rack. "I'll be back later, okay? I'm going to hang out with the gang today." And before Maria could even respond Tea was already out the door and running to meet her friends.

Tea ran up to the town square that she was supposed to meet her friends at. As she was looking around trying to spot Yugi's hair in the crowd, Tea accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry," Tea said turning to the person she had rudely crashed into. The man was tall, muscular and surprisingly wearing shades on this overcast day.

"It's no problem," he responded politely. Yet, Tea had no idea why, the tone of his voice and the way he smiled at her unsettled her.

"Do I know. . ." Tea began.

"TEA!!" Yugi yelled and Tea turned, seeing him just a bit off to her right gesturing for her to hurry up. "Come on!"

Tea took this as her chance to leave. She ran to Yugi in her hast to get away, hoping that she would never meet that man again. He got under her skin and she had no idea why. All she knew is that she did not want to be near him.

The man took out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. He could feel his heart pounding as he waited for his boss to pickup. He was so happy that he finally had good news.

_Ring. . . Ring. . . Ring. . . _"Hello?" a cold voice asked. "This better be good. Have you found her?"

"Yes, Sir. The target has been found. Matches name, description and photo. I think we've found her."

"Don't let her out of your sight and gather more information as too her location. Feel free to inflict pain if the situation calls for it," chuckled the man. "But remember. . . I want her alive. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir. There will be no problems," responded the man.

"Don't screw this up."

_Click. . . Beep. . . Beep. . . Beep. . . _

Tea ran over to Yugi and gave him a huge hug. He laughed and returned it. They had been best friends forever since Maria had found Tea that awful day and had sent her to the same school as him. They became fast friends and Yugi always looked after and supported Tea.

"Can we get going? I really want to go grab something to eat," whined Joey as he met up with two of his best friends. His blonde hair was in his face like always so he didn't see Tristan until he rammed right into him, knocking him off of his feet.

"Oh, you found her? Well, then let's get going," said Tristan calmly as Joey stared daggers at him. Tea laughed as they headed into the mall. She would really have liked to hang out with Mai and Serenity as well but they both were out of town. She loved hanging out with Yugi, Joey and Tristan; don't get her wrong, they were like her brothers, but it helps to have a girl's point of view when shopping. Especially for clothes. Oh well.

"Hey! Want to hear this awesome joke? Okay well, a duck walks into a bar and says to the bartender 'Got any grapes?' and the bartender's like. . ." Tea stop listening to Joey as this creepy feeling swept over her. It felt like she was being watched but when she looked around she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Mothers walked there babies along in strollers while groups of girls sat at the food plaza and gossiped about this boy and that girl. Everything seemed normal and yet. . .

"YO!! Tea! You listening?" Joey said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "How could you not listen to me when I'm making a joke? I'm not that bad am I?" The whole group burst out in laughter at this, choosing not to answer. As Tea laughed along, she totally forgot about her worries.

"Come on, Funnyman, let's go get something to eat," Tea said, soothing Joey's feelings with the idea of food. Everyone grabbed a hamburger and started to dig in. As Tea looked around she felt uneasy again. And then, there he was. She saw the man from earlier sitting a couple of tables down and he was staring. . . right at her. There was no mistaking the expensive navy suit he wore or the sadistic smile he directed at her as he continued to stare. Tea knew that he was going to hurt her. Maybe it was the nightmare, but she knew that she had to get away from him.

"Tea, are you alright?" asked Yugi, concerned by her pale face.

"Yah you're awfully quiet," said Tristan.

"Totally unlike you to be like that," agreed Joey. "Usually we have trouble just trying to get you to shut up for two seconds."

Tea turned to her friends. How could she explain how she was feeling? They would think that she was just over reacting. But, she really wanted to get away from that man, even if she was wrong.

"Let's get shopping you guys," Tea said, surprisingly with a calm voice. "How about we hit Bootlegger or something first? I really need a new pair of jeans. Oh and I have to buy a gift for Maria's birthday."

"Okay," Yugi said, still a bit suspicious as to why Tea was acting strange. Yugi wasn't one to push so the gang threw out its garbage and started walking around. After 3 hours of non-stop shopping, Tea was laden down with a ton of bags but she didn't feel any better. Every time she looked, she had no trouble spotting the man, following at a distance. It was like his eyes burned a hole in her back. She felt his presence everywhere she went. She had tried to tell the gang but they reacted as she had suspected. Yugi promised to keep a look out while Joey and Tristan spouted off lies about protecting her but no one really took her seriously. They decided to go and catch a movie before going home.

"Come on, let's see SAW III. What, are you guys chicken?" Joey asked, laughing.

"I don't feel in the mood for it sorry, bro," replied Tristan. Tea was more than okay with the decision to not watch SAW III. She wasn't sure she would be able to keep her lunch down if she saw it. The gang decided to see Man of the Year, a comedy they could all enjoy. Tea volunteered to wait in line for the treats.

"That will be $20.75, dear" said the cashier kindly. Tea smiled as she handed her some money. The price wasn't that bad for three large bags of popcorn (one for Tristan, one for Joey and one for Tea and Yugi to share), two large Cokes, an orange juice, a blue slushie and two bags of Smarties. "Here's your change dear."

Tea took her change and as she was about to pick up her food she froze. Beside her was the man that was following her. She dropped her change in shock and then scrambled to pick it up. The man knelt down to help her. She managed to scoop the rest up into her hand before he said a word to her. Tea grabbed her food and hurried to her theatre.

The man watched the movie with little interest. He couldn't take his eyes off of his target. She had sure gotten awfully pretty after all these years. He pulled out a pink wallet from his jacket pocket. When Tea had dropped her change she hadn't even noticed him steal her wallet. As he opened it, he couldn't help but chuckle at the pictures she kept in there. Ones of her and Yugi finger painting when they were younger, the gang at camp and lastly a picture of an older woman with a wrinkled, kind smile. The man pulled it out of the wallet to examine it. As he flipped it over he read 'To my lovely Tea, From Maria'. "Must be the person who's been taking care of her all these years," thought the man. He replaced the photo and removed her personal information card. As he began copying it down, he thought to himself "You won't be disappearing anytime soon, Ms. Gardner".

Tea hadn't really enjoyed the movie that much knowing that the man was probably in there too, but she was happy that she found her wallet. She had noticed it missing near the end of the movie. The cashier had actually found it in the girl's bathroom and returned it to her. "Must have left it in there when I went to the washroom," thought Tea.

"You seem a little preoccupied, Tea" said Yugi, breaking her out of her reverie. Yugi had been kind enough to walk Tea part of the way home. He could tell she was uncomfortable. He even carried her bags for her, hoping that she'd start to open up to him when it was just the two of them.

"Sorry about that Yugi," Tea sighed. "I guess I just need more sleep or something. I'm getting so darn jumpy these days. Hey could you talk those bags to the shop for me? Maria's birthday is coming up and I don't want her to see the gift I got her. I'll swing by and pick them up on Monday, okay?"

"Sure, no problem, Tea. See you later!" Yugi called to her as she began to cross the street.

"Bye, Yugi!" Tea said. She kept walking and tried to take her mind off of this afternoon. She turned on her MP3 and tuned out her worries to the beat of her favourite songs. She was starting to feel better as 'I Don't Need a Man' came on and she was dancing down the street humming the tune to herself.

She didn't even have time to react when the man grabbed her from behind. He squeezed so hard that Tea could hardly breathe. She started screaming as she flailed her arms around, trying to hit her attacker. She was roughly pushed into an alley as the man smirked at her terror.

"It sure was hard to track you down, Tea but now that I have, I'm not letting you out of my sight. Ever," the man said, his eyes crawling all over her body. She had managed to knock off his sunglasses and his piercing brown eyes were much worse than looking at sunglasses. He was enjoying the power he held over her. Tea shivered at the sickening look in his eyes. As he advanced towards Tea, she did something he totally did not expect. She ran at him, intending to fight. The man laughed and struck out, just as Tea thought he would.

Dancing had made her light on her feet so she easily avoided him. She managed to get a direct hit to his face. He swore at her as his nose began to bleed from her left hook. The man didn't know but Tea had taken a self defense course every year since she was old enough to handle it. She kicked him in the crotch and ran away as he doubled over in unbelievable pain. She ran and ran, not totally sure where she was going. She realized she was close to her house so she kept running. She had to tell Maria what had happened. She would know what to do. Tea glanced at her watch as she kept up her rapid pace. It was nearing 7 o'clock. "Maria would be cooking supper," thought Tea randomly, trying anything to keep herself calm. As she neared the little cottage on the outskirts of town, Tea couldn't help but look back every 5 seconds. Yet, no one was following her. . .

Tea stepped up towards the house and noticed the door was propped open. "We didn't have company did we?" Tea thought. Tea stepped over the threshold and met a sight that stopped her heart.

_Sweet angel 505 – hehehe I hope you liked it and it was worth the wait. Review please!!!! Thanks for reading my 2nd chapter. LOL I am so excited for the next chapter! But you'll just have to wait and see what it's about, won't you (winks). Hope you'll like it. I'll try to update soon. Thanks again!!_


	3. Unexpected Help

_**You Can't Fight Fate**_

_Disclaimer: _Yah yah I don't own Yu Gi Oh . . . . So sue me . . . . (Please don't )

_Sweet Angel 505 – _Hey! Sorry it took me so long to update this story. School has just been so hectic, what with exams and culminatings and everything. Yah I know, _excuses_, _excuses _but I do feel really bad for taking so long. Hope this was worth the wait! And thanks to everybody who reviewed!!!

**Chapter 3: Unexpected Help**

Tea crossed the threshold into her longtime home. Her heart started to rise in her throat as she looked at the destruction everywhere. Chairs and tables were overturned, precious keepsakes smashed on the floor. Tears began to well up in Tea's eyes as she walked through the ragged living room into the kitchen. Tea's cry caught in her throat as she ran to Maria's side. Maria was sprawled on the kitchen floor, her own blood slowly forming a puddle around her. Maria clutched a picture of Tea and her in her lifeless hands.

Tea gathered Maria up into her arms and cried as she slowly began to rock. So many emotions fought to be the most prominent in her mind. Grief, guilt, anger. . . The one thing that Tea knew was that Maria had been killed because of her. The gapping wound on her head was because of that night many years ago.

_Thump._ Tea jerked her head up as she heard noises above her head. _They were still in her house_. Tea shook as she held her breath and listened to the voices above her.

"God damn it! Where the hell is she?!" yelled one of the men. His dark grey suit was finely tailored and had no trace of blood on it though he had been the one to kill Maria. "She should have been home by now, considering that Cain was unable to hold off a 17 year old girl." Jasper snickered. He had always hated Cain. Let's just say that he hadn't felt a pang of remorse when they had received word of his failure.

"Stay calm, Jasper," spoke a the leader of the group of three, Lyle, the oldest and one of the most respected people that worked for Mr. McCloud. "She'll be home any minute now. All we have to do is wait patiently."

Tea muffled the whimper that threatened to escape. She had to get out. _Now._ She slowly lowered Maria to the floor and kissed her hand lovingly as the last of her tears leaked from her eyes. Tea had no idea why this was all happening to her now, after all these years, but she knew that Maria would want her to be strong. She got up and slowly started backing out of the kitchen. Tea prayed that she would make it out safe. She was almost at the door. _Clang_. Tea looked around for the source of the sound, realizing she had knocked over a pot by accident. She raced out of the house and ran with all of her might to where she hoped she would be safe.

_XxXxX_

_Clang. _"What was that?" Jasper asked the others as he rushed to the window. From the second story view he saw a beautiful brunette in blue and white rush out of the house, matching the exact description that Cain had given him.

"That little bitch! Think she can get away, does she? Lyle, she's heading down the street. Your old legs up for a run?" Jasper snickered as he sprinted down the stairs.

OoOoO

Seto looked at his watch as he drove home from a late meeting at work. "I just had to give the chauffer the day off didn't I?" thought Seto angrily, wishing he could be resting in his limo instead of driving himself home. "Good thing I did though. I still have to pick up something for Mokuba's birthday on Monday. What should I get him? Hmmm..."

Seto considered his options and decided to stop in at his favourite CD store and pick Mokuba up the latest Green Day CD. After all, he had been bothering him for it for months now. Seto walked into CD Plus quietly, not wanting to draw any attention to himself. He was friends with the people who worked there but he wasn't really in the mood for chatting. It had been a rough day after all. As Seto began browsing down the rock aisle, he ran his fingers through his chestnut locks as he glanced out the window. Something in blue and white streaked by the window as it started to rain. "Gardner?" Seto said, surprised to see her in such a state. Just as he decided it wasn't any of his business (after all since when did he care about Yugi's cheerleader?) he saw three large, well-dressed men race by the window, as if in pursuit of Gardner. "Something's wrong…" thought Seto as he dropped what he was carrying and raced out into the rain.

XxXxX

Tea looked back. They were gaining on her and she had a stitch in her side from running so much. She was never going to make it all the way to the shop. They were going to catch her. She had to do something. Tea tried to run faster, knocking over the trash cans in her path in an attempt to hopefully slow down her pursuers. Tea then cut through the park, hoping that even though it was raining there would still be other people there that could help her. As she crashed through the park gate, she looked around and her stomach hit the ground as she realized everyone had left the park due to the rain. _She was completely alone._

Tea felt hands come around her arms as she started to run again. She screamed as she was pulled towards the nearest bench and shoved violently onto it. She looked up through her wet bangs and stared at the three men blocking her in. The one that had her arm was wearing a navy blue suit, obviously tailored, but he seemed only a few years older than her. His red hair was matted against his head as the rain began to pour down harder than ever. The look in his eyes told her that he would kill her in an instant if she tried to move. Tea sat as still as she could.

"Well, looks like we finally caught you. You're a damn good runner though," said the red head appreciatively, looking at her with a grin on his face. "I told you I would be the one to catch her, Lyle."

The oldest laughed at this, his chuckle almost friendly if Tea hadn't known better. "That you did Liam. Good job. I'm sure Mr. McCloud will be pleased."

"So, shall we get this over with? I want to get out of this god damn rain! It's ruining my shoes," complained the other in the dark grey suit.

"Sure, Jasper. Help Liam watch her. I'll call for the car to come pick us up." Lyle said as he walked out of the park to get some reception.

Tea shook where she sat, her eyes wildly darting around, looking for an escape. The red head noticed this and laughed. He nudged Jasper, making him snicker. "What do you say we have a little fun while we wait?" whispered Liam to Jasper. Tea heard this and her head jerked up.

"Stay the hell away from me!"

"Who's going to make us?" laughed Liam as he approached the bench.

"Gardner, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into now?" said Seto as he calmly walked up to the bench. The men whipped their heads towards Seto, barley having time to register that he was charging them. He hit the red head in the face with his elbow, making his nose bleed. He ducked as the grey suit came at him, swiftly turning and punching him in the stomach. As Tea stared, Seto turned and gave the red head a left hook before kicking him in the shin. Liam fell as Seto grabbed Jasper's shoulder's, ramming his knee into his back, throwing off his diaphragm. Jasper sunk to the ground wheezing as Seto walked over to Tea.

"Are you okay, Gardner?" Seto asked Tea, concerned.

"Huuu. . . hey. . . punk. . . .huuuu. . . get back. . . . . here. . . ." panted Jasper.

"Come on, Jasper. We'll get them later," Liam tried to pull Jasper towards where the car was waiting, all the while nursing his bloody nose.

Tea sat frozen on the bench as Seto watched the two muscle men to make sure they weren't faking in an attempt to gain the element of surprise. When they were gone Seto turned to Tea and crouched down in front of her. Her eyes were totally glazed over in unfallen tears and she was shaking like a leaf.

Seto grabbed tea's shoulders and shook them gently saying, "Gardner, get a grip on yourself. They're gone." Tea looked up into Seto's midnight blue eyes and the dam broke. Tears spilled out of her eyes as Tea sobbed into Seto's shoulder, "Oh, Seto. . . I don't know what would have happened. . . if you hadn't come. . . ." Tea passed out onto Seto's shoulder as all the stress and terror of the day caught up with her. Seto glanced down at her, unsure of what to do. He had never been this close to Tea before. . . Sigh "Now what have I gotten myself into?" Seto asked himself as he picked up Tea and started walking to a nearby haven.

_OoOoO_

Yugi glanced outside as thunder rolled overhead. The storm had come on pretty quickly but the gang was inside practicing duel monsters so it didn't ruin their mood in the least.

"I play pot of greed, allowing me to draw three more cards," said Yugi as he happily dueled with one of his best friends, Joey. Sure, Joey was losing, but he wasn't going down without a fight. That's what Yugi liked most about Joey; his determination and loyalty to friends. "And, now I play Dark Magician in attack mode, followed by the spell card. . ."

_Clang. _The door burst open at in the front of the house, in the shop. Yugi raced to see who it was and was shocked to see the figure standing in the doorway, dripping from the rain and holding an unconscious Tea.

"_Kaiba?!?!"_

XxXxX

Seto stood around uselessly as Yugi and his friends ran around to get towels and dry clothes. Tea was lying on the couch in the living room, sleeping like she had been since Seto had picked her up in the park. It took awhile for Yugi to convince Joey that Seto hadn't been the one to hurt Tea and NO he didn't rape her in the park. GOD! Sometimes Joey can be so dumb! Anyway, when everyone calmed down, Seto explained what was going on as best he could from what he had seen and heard at the park. In the end, everyone agreed Tea was in danger and definitely needed to be watched. But, the question was "who?"

"Well, Tea can stay here with Grandpa and me," suggested Yugi.

"Or, with me and Serenity and Tristan at our house," Joey said, always one to offer protection to his friends.

"Well, I'm assuming that none of you idiots have even thought of the idea that all of you don't have the security to protect yourselves, let alone a person wanted by some seriously dangerous men. My place has state of the art technology. Gardner should stay there." Seto said.

Everyone looked at him like he had grown two heads. Had Kaiba just offered to help Tea? "What on earth made me just say that?" Seto thought to himself.

"YOUR PLACE?!?!?! TEA?!?!!?" Joey yelled, indignantly jumping out of his seat in shock.

"SHHHH!!!" everyone said, pointing to where Tea slept a few feet away. She surprisingly didn't wake up and only turned over as she muttered something in her sleep.

"Look, I know this is annoying for all of us but I'm involved now and I might as well help since they know what I look like and may even start looking for me too. So, do we agree?" asked Seto.

"I guess. . ."

_Sweet Angel 505 – Well, I hope that this chapter was worth the long, long LONG wait (once again, extremely sorry). So, will Seto and Tea get along once she finds out about her new living arrangements? Will McCloud's men find Tea? And what about Mokuba's birthday gift? Hmmm lots of interesting things will develop, that's for sure! Well, review please!! Thanks for reading!! Hope to get the next chapter out ASAP!! _


	4. Living Together?

_**You Can't Fight Fate**_

_Disclaimer: _No, I don't own Yu Gi Oh. . . happy now?

_Sweet Angel 505: _K I know it took me FOREVER to update. . . I'M SO SORRY!!! I got a lot going on in my life. . . Anyway. . . lol Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It is so amazing to get such positive feedback! Well, on to the chapter then!

**Chapter 4: Living Together?? **

Tea woke up slowly, not totally sure where she was. Her head was pounding like someone was beating an anvil in her brain. She groaned as she glanced around the lavish room. The walls were a soft blue and decorated with artwork depicting sunny afternoons and flowers. Whose house was this? Tea felt the sheets that covered her and found that the dark blue satin was incredibly soft to the touch. Her pillow felt like a cloud as she lay back down to relieve the pounding in her head. She slowly began to drift back to sleep as exhaustion pulled at her once again.

Tea heard the door open slowly and immediately shot up in bed, the worst possible scenarios running through her mind. None of them even came close. "Kaiba. . .?" Tea slowly whispered, totally drawing a blank as to why she was in _his _house. Tea's head began to spin as Seto approached her bed.

"Don't get up too fast, Gardner. You fainted, like a complete weakling. You need to rest. God, even a complete moron would know that," Seto said coldly, not wanting to reveal the fact that seeing her so pale was making him a bit worried.

Tea lied back down, not because Seto had said so (since when did she listen to him? Seriously), but because her head felt like it was going to explode. She quietly lied there, focusing on her breathing and trying to listen to Seto ramble on.

"… And furthermore, Gardner, you are under my roof now. . ."

"WHAT?!? I am NOT. . ." Tea started to say back stubbornly when Seto cut her off, beginning to get annoyed.

"Even your precious Yugi agreed it was for the best. As I was saying, since you are under my roof now, I expect you to stay out of the way, but on the odd chance that you need anything, come to me immediately and I will deal with the problem. And if you see anyone suspicious on the grounds, which you are fully entitled to explore at your leisure, tell me immediately and I will deal with the problem. I. . . I know how it feels to lose. . . someone you love. . .I'm. . . sorry for your loss," Seto whispered as he walked out of the room quickly, leaving Tea completely confused.

_"Was Kaiba just. . . no way. . . was he just nice to me?"_

XxXxX

After resting more and taking a reviving shower much later, Tea pulled on a pair of worn jeans and a soft pink sweater. It didn't surprise her that Kaiba had already had all her clothes moved here. He was always efficient, no matter what the crisis. Tea decided to go for a walk outside, feeling the need to be alone. She followed the path of the walkway, traveling slowly past beautiful flowers caught in the last rays of the sunset. Tea began to think about her life, its past, present and future, as a soft darkness fell on the gardens. She thought of all the times that she had shared with Maria; the cookie baking, the talent shows, the late night movies. There were bad times. . . but there were so many that were good. Tea walked into the gazebo, tears springing to her eyes as she thought of all that she had lost. What did she have left? Tea didn't notice the clouds gathering overhead and as the heavens opened up into a drenching rainstorm, Tea cried her heart out alone in the gazebo, finally saying goodbye to Maria.

"Tea?" Tea looked up and saw Mokuba cutting through the rain with his umbrella, his big eyes full of compassion. "I just heard. . . from Seto. Ummm, I don't really know what I can say but I want you to know I'm here for you. . ." Tea laughed sadly at this but accepted his hug anyway. At least she knew that she had a friend in the house now.

"What are you doing out here in the rain Mokuba?" Tea asked.

"Oh yah!" Mokuba blushed. "I totally forgot! Seto sent me to fetch you for supper. We better hurry! Seto hates to wait!" Mokuba said quickly, grabbing Tea's arm and pulling her out into the rain.

XxXxX

Seto sat waiting at the supper table. Where on earth were they? It's not that he was impatient but. . . well. . . he was hungry!! Mokuba rushed in, pulling with him Tea. She looked at Seto with wide eyes, afraid that he would be very angry with her and kick her out. She didn't want to leave; she had no where else to go.

"Kaiba. . . I'm sor. . ." Tea started to say.

"Sit down, Gardner. I'm hungry and I have waited for you long enough." He didn't say it as coldly as he had hoped but she got the message and sat down.

The meal passed by quite amicably until desert was served. It wasn't the chocolate ice cream that ruined the mood but instead the topic of conversation.

"Did you know my birthday is coming up Tea?" Mokuba asked excitedly. He had been asking everyone this question lately.

"Oh, it is? I didn't know. . . How old are you turning? What day is it? What do you want?" Tea asked, interested despite the fact that Kaiba was glaring at her for encouraging Mokuba to talk MORE about it.

"Well, you're invited if you want to come! I'm turning 12! I am so excited! Oh, it's on Monday by the way and what I really want for my birthday is a PS3 but Seto said no. . ." Tea spaced out as Mokuba continued to rattle on. Only one thought was in her head. _Monday. _That was. . . Maria's birthday. . . "_I already have a present for her. . ."_

Seto noticed one stray tear roll down Tea's cheek and resisted the urge to reach over and comfort her. Mokuba kept right on chatting, totally oblivious. "Excuse me," said Tea as she quickly left the room.

Mokuba looked up at Seto, confused. "Did I say something wrong?" Seto shook his head as he got up and went to find Tea.

XxXxX

Tea ran blindly down the halls, the rooms streaming by. She had no idea where she was going as she had only been in this house once before to drop off a package during the short period that she worked as a delivery girl to help pay for her dance lessons. Tea slowed down at the end of a hall when she saw a library. She went inside in an attempt to find some solitude. She dried her tears as she scanned the titles of the books in hopes of finding something to take her mind off of her aching heart. As she rounded the end of the mystery section and started to look into the self-help books, she had to laugh. Who knew even the great Seto Kaiba needed the help of Dr. Phil? She picked up the book that read "Dealing with Loss: A Guide to Healing" and sat down in one of the squishy sofas by the fireplace. She began to read quietly, not really paying attention to the words, her mind drifting off to consider her newest benefactor.

"_Seto Kaiba. . . He can be nice when he wants to be, especially to Mokuba. . . but who can resist that kid? He has charm emanating from every pore of his body. . . Seto is quite handsome though. ._" Tea blushed, realizing what she had just thought. Joey would kill her for even thinking of Kaiba that way. "_What's wrong with me. . ._" Tea yawned as she became more comfortable in her chair and her mind wandered.

Seto walked into the library to find Tea asleep in one of the sofas. He chuckled as he shook his head and went over to pick her up and bring her to her room. "_Wait. . . Why am I doing this for her. . . I should just let her wake up here in the morning with a sore neck. . ._" Seto looked down at Tea as she sighed and turned over in her sleep. "_No I can't just leave her here, I'm supposed to be looking after her. . ._" Seto groaned as his good side won and he lifted Tea up into his arms. He slowly began walking her to her room, all the while trying to ignore the fact that she fit so nicely into his arms and that she was so warm. "_What the hell is wrong with me? Tea is just a happy-go-lucky annoying cheerleader. . ._"

Seto was so consumed by his thoughts that he didn't notice when Tea started to moan in her sleep. Her face became contorted with looks of distress. Tea woke with a start and slapped Seto as a reaction to her dream. Her mouth formed a perfect O as he dropped her out of shock. She blushed crimson as Seto rubbed his face and looked at her angrily. Tea burst into laughter as she realized what she had done and surprisingly Seto chuckled a bit as well.

"That's a pretty good slap you've got there, Gardner. Next time, use it on somebody who deserves it."

"Sorry, Kaiba. Just think of it as retribution for the past when you were being such a . . ." Tea trailed off as she realized what she was about to say to the person who she _should _be treating like a king for taking care of her.

"Yah, whatever, Gardner," Seto sighed and pointed to the room down the hall on the right. "That's your room there. Try to remember that next time so we don't have to repeat this again in the future. After all, having you as company at dinner is more than enough."

Tea watched as Kaiba stomped off down the hall and slammed the door as he entered the room directly opposite of hers. Tea felt like little kid as she entered her room. She should be a better guest, especially since Kaiba _obviously_ didn't want her there in the first place. "_I should make it up to him some how. ._ " Tea began to brainstorm possibilities as the night went on, not wishing to return to her haunted dream world anytime soon.

XxXxX

"Sir, she has been located at the residence of a Seto Kaiba, president of Kaiba Corp. We are currently running detailed background checks and a security detail. We are confident that she can be recovered. It is only a matter of time."

"No."

"No? Uh. . .Sir?"

"No. I want to use a different approach. I want someone on the inside. Send him in."

"Yes Sir."

_Sweet Angel 505: _Who are they talking about? Will Tea be okay? And is there somethin' going on between Seto and Tea? Lol You'll see! Btw, I wasn't totally sure of Mokuba's age so I estimated . Please don't be mad if I'm wrong. Thanks and please read and review! I hope to have the next chapter out asap!


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